The present invention relates to railroad crossing warning systems and, more particularly to, an improved warning system which provides management and control of directional audible horns located at a railroad intersection for directing sound along an intersecting road, while minimizing or omitting the need for horn blasts from an approaching locomotive.
Grade crossings, where motor vehicle traffic crosses railroad tracks, have been a notorious site for collisions between the motor vehicles and trains. Various types of warning systems to warn road traffic of the approach of the train, rely on two major warning sources, specifically, an audible signal from a locomotive horn or a visual indicator of the location of the railroad crossing or both.
While the visual indicator at the railroad crossing varies from a pair of cross-bucks to fully automated crossing gates with lights and bells, the first part of the equation continues to rely on the timely occurrence of horn blasts from the locomotive. Since the driver of the motor vehicle must have enough time to stop at the crossing in response to a warning signal, the horn blast from the locomotive must occur at a sufficient distance from the grade crossing. To produce a sound of adequate intensity to be heard by the driver, while the locomotive is still approaching the intersection, the horn blast must be activated at a very high decibel level.
One problem associated with horn blasts on a locomotive is the disturbance to residents in the area located adjacent to the rail corridor. A related but less common problem occurs when a train is backing over a crossing, wherein the horn is located on the opposite end of the train.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have an improved railroad crossing warning system that does not require or only rely upon the horn blasts from a locomotive approaching the intersection as a means of providing a warning to highway traffic that a track-based vehicle is approaching.
The automated railroad crossing warning system of the present invention includes a controller housed and mounted at the railroad track intersection with directional audible alarms oriented on each side of the track and facing in opposite directions along the intersecting roadway in order to direct warning blasts along the roadway, generally transverse to the railroad track. A confirmation signal such as a strobe light may be mounted on a housing, or remotely, for viewing by an approaching railroad engineer. The confirmation signal serves as an indication to the engineer that the warning system is operating properly. A detector senses the presence of a train approaching the intersection and transmits a signal to a controller that activates the audible alarms. A sound detector is used as part of a fail safe circuit. It transmits a signal to the controller upon activation of the horns at a predetermined decibel level. The controller then activates the confirmation signal so that a railroad engineer can visually determine that the warning system at the intersection is operational.
The present invention comprises an audible alarm located at the intersection of the railroad track and roadway that produces a directional audible signal in opposing directions along a roadway, a visual indicator co-located with the audible alarm for visually indicating to an approaching track-based vehicle of the activation of the audible alarm at predefined operational levels. A controller is connected to the audible alarm and the visual indicator. The controller receives signals from transducers located along the railroad track that detect the approach of a track-based vehicle towards the intersection at predetermined locations along the railroad track. The controller activates the audible alarm in response to the signals. The controller also monitors the operation of the audible alarm at predefined operational levels and transmits a signal to the visual indicator in response thereto. The controller may also detect the proper operation of the visual indicator and record system operation.
The controller further comprises a plurality of inputs for managing a plurality of independent transducers or transducer triggering events. The controller, through the plurality of inputs, can provide multiple railroad track monitoring capabilities. The controller generates audible signals in response to the independent transducer triggering events. The alarm assembly is mountable at an intersection such that alarms and visual indicators can be separately oriented to direct audible signals along the intersecting roadway, generally transverse to the railroad track, and the visual indicator along the railroad track, generally towards the direction of approaching track-based vehicles. The visual display may include a means for masking the visual display from viewing in directions transverse to the railroad track. The audible alarm, visual indicator and controller are modules that may be integrated into an assembly.
The controller can produce a predetermined sequence of horn blasts upon activation of the alarm. The sequence of the horn blast can resemble the sound typically associated with the horn of an approaching locomotive. Alternatively, a variety of audible signals can be recorded in memory within the system for access by the controller.
The controller, having a plurality of inputs for receiving signals from a plurality of remote transducers, may be connected, directly or indirectly, to the plurality of transducers located at a single or multiple points along a railroad track. The transducers can detect an approaching locomotive or other track-based vehicle. Detecting may be based on weight or sight. Under this configuration the controller activates the alarm in response to its detection of signals from the tranducers. The controller may also activate the audible alarm at predefined operational levels based on transducer inputs to the controller. Such transducer-based management can allow for audible alarms of various amplitude, frequency and duration, based upon transducer-related input to the controller. With such a scheme, the controller can provide a signal to the visual indicator in accordance with the appropriate tranducer-related audio signal being produced. Audio monitoring is provided by a sound detector with input to the controller.
Proper operation of the system, including the alarm, the visual indicator, the sound monitor and the inputs, can be monitored by a microprocessor-based controller. Operation of the system can be recorded in memory by the controller. The controller may automatically adjust the audible alarm to produce the appropriate amplitude of the audible alarm at predefined levels.
The present invention also includes a method of providing advanced audible warning at the intersection of a railroad track and roadway that comprises monitoring a plurality of controller inputs for input signals based on remote transducer activation, wherein the input signals are a result of activation of a plurality of transducers located along a railroad track, activating an audible alarm at predefined operational levels based on the signal input to the controller, the input indicating the approach of a railroad vehicle towards the intersection, transmitting a signal to a visual display indicator in response to activation of the audible alarm at predefined decibel levels and recording system operation.